Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1992 Jan 1;89(1):305–308. doi: 10.1073/pnas.89.1.305

U1 and U2 small nuclear RNAs are present in nuclear speckles.

S Huang 1, D L Spector 1
PMCID: PMC48225  PMID: 1530887

Abstract

The localization of U1 and U2 small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) has been examined by in situ hybridization using 2'-O-alkyl oligonucleotide probes. We have found that these snRNAs, which are essential for pre-mRNA splicing, localize in a speckled distribution, in addition to being present in three of four foci, in HeLa cell nuclei. However, in cells of defined passage, such as Detroit 551 and WI-38 fibroblasts, these snRNAs are concentrated in nuclear speckles, and foci are not observed. The speckled distribution of U1 and U2 snRNAs is coincident with the speckled regions enriched in small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle (snRNP) proteins and the essential non-snRNP splicing factor SC-35. The localization of these key components of the pre-mRNA splicing machinery to speckled nuclear regions suggests that these regions may be involved in pre-mRNA splicing.

Full text

PDF
305

Images in this article

306Image
on p.306
307Image
on p.307

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bachellerie J. P., Puvion E., Zalta J. P. Ultrastructural organization and biochemical characterization of chromatin - RNA - protein complexes isolated from mammalian cell nuclei. Eur J Biochem. 1975 Oct 15;58(2):327–337. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1975.tb02379.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Carmo-Fonseca M., Pepperkok R., Sproat B. S., Ansorge W., Swanson M. S., Lamond A. I. In vivo detection of snRNP-rich organelles in the nuclei of mammalian cells. EMBO J. 1991 Jul;10(7):1863–1873. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1991.tb07712.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Carmo-Fonseca M., Tollervey D., Pepperkok R., Barabino S. M., Merdes A., Brunner C., Zamore P. D., Green M. R., Hurt E., Lamond A. I. Mammalian nuclei contain foci which are highly enriched in components of the pre-mRNA splicing machinery. EMBO J. 1991 Jan;10(1):195–206. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1991.tb07936.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Fakan S., Bernhard W. Localisation of rapidly and slowly labelled nuclear RNA as visualized by high resolution autoradiography. Exp Cell Res. 1971 Jul;67(1):129–141. doi: 10.1016/0014-4827(71)90628-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Fakan S., Leser G., Martin T. E. Ultrastructural distribution of nuclear ribonucleoproteins as visualized by immunocytochemistry on thin sections. J Cell Biol. 1984 Jan;98(1):358–363. doi: 10.1083/jcb.98.1.358. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Fakan S., Nobis P. Ultrastructural localization of transcription sites and of RNA distribution during the cell cycle of synchronized CHO cells. Exp Cell Res. 1978 May;113(2):327–337. doi: 10.1016/0014-4827(78)90373-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Fakan S., Puvion E., Sphor G. Localization and characterization of newly synthesized nuclear RNA in isolate rat hepatocytes. Exp Cell Res. 1976 Apr;99(1):155–164. doi: 10.1016/0014-4827(76)90690-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Fu X. D., Maniatis T. Factor required for mammalian spliceosome assembly is localized to discrete regions in the nucleus. Nature. 1990 Feb 1;343(6257):437–441. doi: 10.1038/343437a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Habets W. J., Hoet M. H., De Jong B. A., Van der Kemp A., Van Venrooij W. J. Mapping of B cell epitopes on small nuclear ribonucleoproteins that react with human autoantibodies as well as with experimentally-induced mouse monoclonal antibodies. J Immunol. 1989 Oct 15;143(8):2560–2566. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Nyman U., Hallman H., Hadlaczky G., Pettersson I., Sharp G., Ringertz N. R. Intranuclear localization of snRNP antigens. J Cell Biol. 1986 Jan;102(1):137–144. doi: 10.1083/jcb.102.1.137. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Puvion E., Viron A., Assens C., Leduc E. H., Jeanteur P. Immunocytochemical identification of nuclear structures containing snRNPs in isolated rat liver cells. J Ultrastruct Res. 1984 May;87(2):180–189. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5320(84)80077-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Raska I., Ochs R. L., Andrade L. E., Chan E. K., Burlingame R., Peebles C., Gruol D., Tan E. M. Association between the nucleolus and the coiled body. J Struct Biol. 1990 Jul-Sep;104(1-3):120–127. doi: 10.1016/1047-8477(90)90066-l. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Reed R. Protein composition of mammalian spliceosomes assembled in vitro. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1990 Oct;87(20):8031–8035. doi: 10.1073/pnas.87.20.8031. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Reuter R., Appel B., Bringmann P., Rinke J., Lührmann R. 5'-Terminal caps of snRNAs are reactive with antibodies specific for 2,2,7-trimethylguanosine in whole cells and nuclear matrices. Double-label immunofluorescent studies with anti-m3G antibodies and with anti-RNP and anti-Sm autoantibodies. Exp Cell Res. 1984 Oct;154(2):548–560. doi: 10.1016/0014-4827(84)90179-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Spector D. L. Colocalization of U1 and U2 small nuclear RNPs by immunocytochemistry. Biol Cell. 1984;51(1):109–112. doi: 10.1111/j.1768-322x.1984.tb00289.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Spector D. L., Fu X. D., Maniatis T. Associations between distinct pre-mRNA splicing components and the cell nucleus. EMBO J. 1991 Nov;10(11):3467–3481. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1991.tb04911.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Spector D. L. Higher order nuclear organization: three-dimensional distribution of small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1990 Jan;87(1):147–151. doi: 10.1073/pnas.87.1.147. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Spector D. L., Schrier W. H., Busch H. Immunoelectron microscopic localization of snRNPs. Biol Cell. 1983;49(1):1–10. doi: 10.1111/j.1768-322x.1984.tb00215.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Spector D. L., Smith H. C. Redistribution of U-snRNPs during mitosis. Exp Cell Res. 1986 Mar;163(1):87–94. doi: 10.1016/0014-4827(86)90560-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Verheijen R., Kuijpers H., Vooijs P., Van Venrooij W., Ramaekers F. Distribution of the 70K U1 RNA-associated protein during interphase and mitosis. Correlation with other U RNP particles and proteins of the nuclear matrix. J Cell Sci. 1986 Dec;86:173–190. doi: 10.1242/jcs.86.1.173. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Wang J., Cao L. G., Wang Y. L., Pederson T. Localization of pre-messenger RNA at discrete nuclear sites. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1991 Aug 15;88(16):7391–7395. doi: 10.1073/pnas.88.16.7391. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Wu Z. A., Murphy C., Callan H. G., Gall J. G. Small nuclear ribonucleoproteins and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins in the amphibian germinal vesicle: loops, spheres, and snurposomes. J Cell Biol. 1991 May;113(3):465–483. doi: 10.1083/jcb.113.3.465. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES